This is a tsuba made by Nomura Kanenori, who lived in Hikone, Goshu (Omi Province). It was made in the middle of autumn in the Shin-Ushi year. It has been designated as the 46th Juyo Tosogu.
野村包教は、三郎次、三郎兵衛といい、干英子と号す。近江国彦根の出身で江戸に住したと言われているが、「江戸住」 と銘した作は無く、いずれも「江州彦根住」という地名を銘文に添えている。作風は藻柄子一派と同趣で、同派の有力な 分派である。生没年は未詳であるが、「享保九甲辰鶯時」と年紀のある作品が確認されており、ほぼその活躍期を窺い知る ことが出来る。 本作は、奇抜な雪花形に造り込み、 鉄地に高彫象嵌色絵工法にて群仙図を堂々と彫り上げている。彫口は、実におおら かでゆったりとしており、観る者を幽玄の世界に誘ってくれる。 彦根に於いて同時期に活躍した秀典銘・宗典銘といった 藻柄子初期の傑作を髣髴とさせる作品で、加えて容儀厳めしい。因みに年紀の辛丑は、享保六年である。
NihontoWatch
Hikone Kanenori
null
江州彦根
Signed
Jūyō #46 (null)
Kinko · Omi · Edo
2 pieces on the market now
Nomura Kanenori, also known as Saburoji and Saburobei, worked under the go Kan'eishi and was a resident of Nakayabu in Hikone, Omi Province. He studied under Mogarashi Soten and is regarded as the foremost master among Soten's students, constituting one of the most influential branches of the Mogarashi lineage. Although said to have lived in Edo, no works bearing an Edo-resident signature are known; all signed pieces instead append the place-name "Resident of Hikone in Goshu" to the inscription. While his birth and death dates are unknown, dated works from the Kyoho era (1721-1724) allow his period of activity in the mid-Edo period to be understood with reasonable clarity.
Kanenori produced both tsuba and fuchi-gashira, working in iron and shakudo with nanako-ji grounds. His manner of work aligns with that of the Mogarashi group, yet his carving is notably "open and unforced--spacious and leisurely," drawing the viewer into a world of subtle profundity. The NBTHK consistently emphasizes his "bold compositional power, together with the exquisitely delicate multi-metal inlay," noting that this combination of imposing scale and refined polychrome zogan with iroe effects "fully conveys the distinctive appeal unique to Kanenori." His takabori and nikubori ji-sukashi techniques are deployed across ambitious narrative compositions drawn from classical literary and mythological subjects, rendered on generously proportioned guards that serve as broad stages for the unfolding of their themes.
Kanenori's significance within the Mogarashi tradition is affirmed in language that places him at the summit of Soten's school. His workmanship is judged "in no way inferior to the masterworks of his teacher Soten," and his finest pieces are designated hakubi--literally "the white eyebrow," the preeminent work among his oeuvre. The NBTHK further notes that his manner recalls the early Mogarashi masterpieces of such contemporaries as Hidenori and Munenori, while additionally presenting "a sternly dignified bearing" that distinguishes his personal idiom within the broader lineage.
Where Kanenori stands among comparable artisans: across all of nihontō, and within tradition, era, and period. The tiers (Foremost · Leading · Major · Notable) weigh official designations from the NBTHK and Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs, together with historical honors of lasting repute such as the Sansaku and Meibutsu-chō.
Select a lens to see how it's measured.
Kinko · Omi
33 pieces on the market now
The Hikone school of sword fittings -- known as Hikone-bori -- was established at Nakayabu in Hikone, Omi Province, by Mogarashi Nyudo Soten, who settled there after leaving Kyoto and entered the service of the Kawakita family, hereditary vassals of the Hikone domain. One source records that Soten initially trained under the Goto family, citing the Kinko Soran for the existence of works signed "made by Kitagawa Hidenori, a disciple of the Goto," before developing the distinctive carving manner that would define his lineage. The school's connection to the broader Mino-bori tradition is also recognized. There were reportedly two generations working under Soten's name, with the first born in Joo 1 (1652) and active from the early through mid-Edo period. From his workshop emerged a circle of accomplished students, chief among them Nomura Kanenori and Munenori, who carried the Hikone-bori manner forward and established it as one of the most distinctive regional styles in the kinko tradition. The technical hallmark of Hikone-bori is sukidashi takabori -- richly modeled high-relief carving executed on generously proportioned iron plates, further enlivened through zogan iroe employing gold, silver, shakudo, and suaka. The NBTHK notes that even among the gold applications, "multiple types of gold are used," producing expansive pictorial fields of considerable chromatic variety.
Subjects encompass warriors, Daoist immortals, elder sages at elegant gatherings, and flowers-and-birds compositions, rendered across the entirety of both surfaces of the guard. The school's masters also demonstrated facility in shakudo work, including nanako-ji plates with high-relief compositions displaying a pronounced Goto-like flavor, as well as nikubori ji-sukashi and polychrome mitokoromono sets. What unifies the school's output is the synthesis of imposing compositional scale with refined polychrome technique. " Munenori's contribution is recognized for its assured command of shakudo nanako-ji ground preparation and boldly modeled takabori, enriched with polychrome iroe employing multiple varieties of gold across both faces -- a sumptuous, animated effect characteristic of the mature Hikone style. The Hikone school's significance within the broader kinko tradition rests on its creation of a distinctively pictorial approach to sword-fitting decoration that stands apart from both the restrained elegance of the Goto mainline and the narrative density of the Yokoya school. The NBTHK's evaluative language converges on a single defining quality: the school's ability to fill expansive iron and shakudo surfaces with ambitious narrative compositions while maintaining compositional coherence and chromatic refinement. " That Soten's overwhelming fame led later makers to adopt his signature on subsequent Hikone-carved works testifies to the enduring authority of the school's founding aesthetic, while the surviving origami documentation -- including one dated Kanbun 5 (1665) from Goto Mitsutomo -- provides valuable evidence for understanding workshop practices and the collaborative production that sustained the Hikone tradition across the early and mid-Edo period. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Soten宗典 | Edo | 10 |
| Kanenori包教 | Edo | 3 |
| Masatsugu政次 | Edo | 0 |
| Mitsuyoshi光義 | Edo | 0 |
| Munekata宗賢 | Edo | 0 |
Within one week of the item's arrival (cooling-off is possible within Japan only). For defects that differ from the purchase conditions, we will accept the return and refund the payment. For other cases such as overseas, we will consult separately.
This is a tsuba made by Nomura Kanenori, who lived in Hikone, Goshu (Omi Province). It was made in the middle of autumn in the Shin-Ushi year. It has been designated as the 46th Juyo Tosogu.
野村包教は、三郎次、三郎兵衛といい、干英子と号す。近江国彦根の出身で江戸に住したと言われているが、「江戸住」 と銘した作は無く、いずれも「江州彦根住」という地名を銘文に添えている。作風は藻柄子一派と同趣で、同派の有力な 分派である。生没年は未詳であるが、「享保九甲辰鶯時」と年紀のある作品が確認されており、ほぼその活躍期を窺い知る ことが出来る。 本作は、奇抜な雪花形に造り込み、 鉄地に高彫象嵌色絵工法にて群仙図を堂々と彫り上げている。彫口は、実におおら かでゆったりとしており、観る者を幽玄の世界に誘ってくれる。 彦根に於いて同時期に活躍した秀典銘・宗典銘といった 藻柄子初期の傑作を髣髴とさせる作品で、加えて容儀厳めしい。因みに年紀の辛丑は、享保六年である。
NihontoWatchHikone Kanenori
null
江州彦根
Signed
Jūyō #46 (null)
Kinko · Omi · Edo
2 pieces on the market now
Nomura Kanenori, also known as Saburoji and Saburobei, worked under the go Kan'eishi and was a resident of Nakayabu in Hikone, Omi Province. He studied under Mogarashi Soten and is regarded as the foremost master among Soten's students, constituting one of the most influential branches of the Mogarashi lineage. Although said to have lived in Edo, no works bearing an Edo-resident signature are known; all signed pieces instead append the place-name "Resident of Hikone in Goshu" to the inscription. While his birth and death dates are unknown, dated works from the Kyoho era (1721-1724) allow his period of activity in the mid-Edo period to be understood with reasonable clarity.
Kanenori produced both tsuba and fuchi-gashira, working in iron and shakudo with nanako-ji grounds. His manner of work aligns with that of the Mogarashi group, yet his carving is notably "open and unforced--spacious and leisurely," drawing the viewer into a world of subtle profundity. The NBTHK consistently emphasizes his "bold compositional power, together with the exquisitely delicate multi-metal inlay," noting that this combination of imposing scale and refined polychrome zogan with iroe effects "fully conveys the distinctive appeal unique to Kanenori." His takabori and nikubori ji-sukashi techniques are deployed across ambitious narrative compositions drawn from classical literary and mythological subjects, rendered on generously proportioned guards that serve as broad stages for the unfolding of their themes.
Kanenori's significance within the Mogarashi tradition is affirmed in language that places him at the summit of Soten's school. His workmanship is judged "in no way inferior to the masterworks of his teacher Soten," and his finest pieces are designated hakubi--literally "the white eyebrow," the preeminent work among his oeuvre. The NBTHK further notes that his manner recalls the early Mogarashi masterpieces of such contemporaries as Hidenori and Munenori, while additionally presenting "a sternly dignified bearing" that distinguishes his personal idiom within the broader lineage.
Where Kanenori stands among comparable artisans: across all of nihontō, and within tradition, era, and period. The tiers (Foremost · Leading · Major · Notable) weigh official designations from the NBTHK and Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs, together with historical honors of lasting repute such as the Sansaku and Meibutsu-chō.
Select a lens to see how it's measured.
Kinko · Omi
33 pieces on the market now
The Hikone school of sword fittings -- known as Hikone-bori -- was established at Nakayabu in Hikone, Omi Province, by Mogarashi Nyudo Soten, who settled there after leaving Kyoto and entered the service of the Kawakita family, hereditary vassals of the Hikone domain. One source records that Soten initially trained under the Goto family, citing the Kinko Soran for the existence of works signed "made by Kitagawa Hidenori, a disciple of the Goto," before developing the distinctive carving manner that would define his lineage. The school's connection to the broader Mino-bori tradition is also recognized. There were reportedly two generations working under Soten's name, with the first born in Joo 1 (1652) and active from the early through mid-Edo period. From his workshop emerged a circle of accomplished students, chief among them Nomura Kanenori and Munenori, who carried the Hikone-bori manner forward and established it as one of the most distinctive regional styles in the kinko tradition. The technical hallmark of Hikone-bori is sukidashi takabori -- richly modeled high-relief carving executed on generously proportioned iron plates, further enlivened through zogan iroe employing gold, silver, shakudo, and suaka. The NBTHK notes that even among the gold applications, "multiple types of gold are used," producing expansive pictorial fields of considerable chromatic variety.
Subjects encompass warriors, Daoist immortals, elder sages at elegant gatherings, and flowers-and-birds compositions, rendered across the entirety of both surfaces of the guard. The school's masters also demonstrated facility in shakudo work, including nanako-ji plates with high-relief compositions displaying a pronounced Goto-like flavor, as well as nikubori ji-sukashi and polychrome mitokoromono sets. What unifies the school's output is the synthesis of imposing compositional scale with refined polychrome technique. " Munenori's contribution is recognized for its assured command of shakudo nanako-ji ground preparation and boldly modeled takabori, enriched with polychrome iroe employing multiple varieties of gold across both faces -- a sumptuous, animated effect characteristic of the mature Hikone style. The Hikone school's significance within the broader kinko tradition rests on its creation of a distinctively pictorial approach to sword-fitting decoration that stands apart from both the restrained elegance of the Goto mainline and the narrative density of the Yokoya school. The NBTHK's evaluative language converges on a single defining quality: the school's ability to fill expansive iron and shakudo surfaces with ambitious narrative compositions while maintaining compositional coherence and chromatic refinement. " That Soten's overwhelming fame led later makers to adopt his signature on subsequent Hikone-carved works testifies to the enduring authority of the school's founding aesthetic, while the surviving origami documentation -- including one dated Kanbun 5 (1665) from Goto Mitsutomo -- provides valuable evidence for understanding workshop practices and the collaborative production that sustained the Hikone tradition across the early and mid-Edo period. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Soten宗典 | Edo | 10 |
| Kanenori包教 | Edo | 3 |
| Masatsugu政次 | Edo | 0 |
| Mitsuyoshi光義 | Edo | 0 |
| Munekata宗賢 | Edo | 0 |
Within one week of the item's arrival (cooling-off is possible within Japan only). For defects that differ from the purchase conditions, we will accept the return and refund the payment. For other cases such as overseas, we will consult separately.
